Katherine (Kate) Lindsay Dickens, born 1920 in Almond, North Carolina passed into a new and peaceful life on August 1, 2011. Kate taught school in Galax City Schools from 1952 until her retirement in 1982. She was a graduate of Western Carolina University, a member of the First Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Virginia Education Association. Kate was an artist, a writer, an avid reader, a gardener and a teacher.

Kate is survived by: Daughters – Dorothy (Jerry) Stoneman, Galax; Sandra (Don) Fields, Franklin, TN; son-John (Linda) Dickens, Abingdon, VA; grandchildren-John Nelson, Deirdre (Patrick) Young, Hillsville, Amy (Matthew) Ratliff, Johnson City, TN; great grandchildren-Kaci & Kayla Young, Evan Ratliff sisters-Hilda Stanberry, Almond, NC; Verna (Charles) Fore, Asheville, NC; special friend Jill Combs. Proceeded in death by her parents John and Frances Lindsay; sister, Jessie Lindsay and brother, Denny Lindsay.

Funeral services will be conducted at the Vaughan-Guynn Chapel on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 7 PM with Dr. Thomas Whartenby officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at Monta Vista Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be John Dickens, Jerry Stoneman, Don Fields, John Nelson, Patrick Yougn and Matthew Ratliff. The family wishes to thank the staff at Independence Nursing Home as well as Dorothy Katherine Stoneman for the love and special care she provided her Mother. A special thank you goes to Mountain Valley Hospice.

In lieu of flowers contributions would be appreciated to Mountain Valley Hospice, 1477 Carrollton Pike, Hillsville, VA 24343 and/or The First Presbyterian Church Emergency Fund, P O Box 2, Galax, VA 24333

Kate will be remembered by her family, students and friends as an educator, life-long learner and by the words she wrote in her short autobiography about her early life: "Life was hard, but we learned to face reality. We found that in spite of hardship, there are honest ways to work oneself through almost any situation if one doesn't panic and is willing to work hard. I believe we did, and I believe the reason we did better was in our stubborn genes, inherited from ancestors who believed in their innate ability to survive in spite of hardships or perhaps because of them!"